Rich I must confess there are 3 shots there. I was sitting on the field after my sons soccer match and an apple core landed next to me , I looked up & 2 crows were chasing one another. They obviously really wanted that apple core and came back several times to see if they could retrieve it . So I kept snapping and dropped a couple more into the shot. I cheated. The crow on the right & the one in the background have been dropped in. It was very easy to do , just put the images on top of the original then changed the blending mode of the layers to darken.tony

QuoteTG-J
Rich I must confess there are 3 shots there. I was sitting on the field after my sons soccer match and an apple core landed next to me , I looked up & 2 crows were chasing one another. They obviously really wanted that apple core and came back several times to see if they could retrieve it . So I kept snapping and dropped a couple more into the shot. I cheated. The crow on the right & the one in the background have been dropped in. It was very easy to do , just put the images on top of the original then changed the blending mode of the layers to darken.tony

LOL, I was depressed that I could not "find" such wonderful situations to photograph, or that my photos lacked the "look" so many photos expressed.......then I finally got it through my noggin' that there is PhotoShop! More to master if you seek excellence in this medium.

Well done here Tony! Even though it is "created" it resembles the actions I have seen among crows here; therefore, it is just "improved reality" which is how I want to use PhotoShop.

Crabby , I say thanks with a huge smile on my face, almost giggling.
Marcum , it was almost one of those Issac Newton type moments. As soon as I saw the crows were going to return to try and retrieve their core (greedy little blighters) it dawned on me what I could do afterwards in photoshop. So I shot it with post in mind. Marcum I know I suggested several alternate programs for image adjustment in a past post , but in reality if you want to be able to make all sorts of major adjustments to you digital files,Full blown Photoshop is the way to go. I know the cost is daunting , but in reality , if you learn to use photoshop properly you will come to realize you don't need the latest copy (CS5) . PS7 or CS1 is almost just as powerful , it does virtually all the same stuff , just not as simplified with sliders.I am sure you can find earlier versions at bargain basement prices. The down side is you will need other programs to process your Raws to Tiffs to bring into Photoshop. The other plus to using an earlier version of Photoshop is the availability of second hand old photoshop books. There is basically 2 avenues to take. 1. Scot Kelby type books(push this button & do this) or 2, Real World Photoshop (Bruce Fraser) type books where you get complex explanations of what every thing does & you end up with an understanding.My recommendation would be start with the latter. The Scot Kelby books are good,but are better when you understand technically what he is doing and can see ways to improvise on his themes. There is also Dan Margulis, his books are excellent but require a certain amount of previous understanding. He approaches the subject more from the angle of a color separator and works predominantly in CMYK. Back in the late 70's I trained as an E-6 tech(color tranny)and basic transparency retoucher, so I can see the power Photoshop has, it used to take days cutting rubylith,making masks. removing dust from 6 surfaces each time ( every thing was always sandwiched between glass when projected or contacted) ,hours in the dark, doing & redoing. Boy the young generation has got it so easy these days. We used to live in rolled up paper at side of the road and eat warm gravel for breakfast.:) Hope this all helps. My advice is start reading now.tony

We used to have to get up out of the shoe-box in the middle of the night and lick the road clean with our tongues. We had to eat half a handful of freezing cold gravel, work at the mill for 24 hours a day, for 4 pence every six years and when we got home our dad would slice us in two with a bread knife.

Johnny Yorkshireman, aka:

Johnny Crabcakes

"Failure is the key to success;
Each mistake teaches us something."
--Morihei Ueshiba

Tony, I think your lengthy dissertation in using PS will scare people more. Did you do it intentionally so that us PS users will have advantage over the non-users (LOL)? After all we don't want to give away out magic tricks. BTW, maybe include free tutorials... there's quite a few over the net that I found useful.